2026 NCAA Softball Tournament: Super Regional matchups, schedule, TV officially set

The 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament officially kicked off this weekend, with the field of 64 whittling down to the 16 teams that qualified for Super Regionals. Now the Super Regional matchups are set.

There weren’t a ton of upsets in the opening rounds, with all but three of the top 16 seeds advancing. Still, that will make for some fascinating matchups going forward.

With the first weekend of action now in the books, here’s a look at how the Super Regionals are set up going forward. We’ve broken them down for you below.

Tuscaloosa Super Regional

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 16 LSU
Friday, May 22 – 7 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 23 – 3 p.m. ET – ESPN
Sunday, May 24 – TBD (if necessary)

Alabama made short work of its regional in Tuscaloosa, advancing without a loss. That run included wins over USC Upstate (twice) and Belmont. Because seeded Southeastern Louisiana lost in its opener, the two programs did not meet. LSU, meanwhile, also won all three of its games in Baton Rouge. The Tigers took down Akron, then Virginia Tech twice to advance to meet the Crimson Tide.

Los Angeles Super Regional

No. 8 UCLA vs. UCF
Friday, May 22 – 9 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Saturday, May 23 – 9 p.m. ET – ESPN
Sunday, May 24 – TBD (if necessary)

UCF bullied its way through the Tallahassee Regional, taking down Jacksonville State and benefiting from Florida State losing to Stetson. The program advanced after beating Stetson and then knocking off the Seminoles in a winner-take-all regional final. UCLA, on the other hand, survived a close opener against California Baptist and then rolled South Carolina twice. The second game was busted open by a grand slam by Megan Grant — her 40th homer of the season.

Fayetteville Super Regional

No. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 12 Duke
Friday, May 22 – 12 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Saturday, May 23 – 5 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Sunday, May 24 – TBD (if necessary)

Arkansas waltzed through the Fayetteville Regional with three straight run-rule contests. The team knocked off Fordham first and then South Florida twice to advance. Duke captured the Durham Regional after being pushed to the brink of elimination by Arizona. Arizona knocked Duke off in the winner’s bracket game, forcing the Blue Devils to beat Marshall and then Arizona twice to advance. But Duke got the job done and now heads to Arkansas.

Lincoln Super Regional

No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Oklahoma State
Thursday, May 21 – 9 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Friday, May 22 – 5 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 23 – 5 p.m. ET (if necessary) – ESPN

Nebraska didn’t muster much offense in its regional, but the pitching was absolutely elite. The Cornhuskers plated only seven runs total but allowed only one, beating South Dakota and then Grand Canyon twice. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, poured in the runs by the truckload. A 16-0 win over Eastern Illinois started things off, then 7-2 and 11-5 wins over Stanford helped the program advance to the supers.

Norman Super Regional

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State
Friday, May 22 – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 23 – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN
Sunday, May 24 – TBD (if necessary)

Oklahoma cruised in its regional, allowing just one run and averaging almost 10 per game at the plate. The wins came over Binghamton, Kansas and Michigan… a relatively easy and straightforward regional for the Sooners. Mississippi State managed to take down seeded Oregon to advance to the supers. The Bulldogs beat Saint Mary’s first, then knocked off Oregon. After Saint Mary’s beat Oregon, Mississippi State then had to win just one of two… and it took the first to move on.

Gainesville Super Regional

No. 6 Florida vs. No. 11 Texas Tech
Friday, May 22 – 11 a.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 23 – 12:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Sunday, May 24 – TBD (if necessary)
Florida made short work of its regional in front of the home fans, pasting Florida A&M and Georgia Tech in the first two games. The third was a bit more work, but the Gators beat the Yellow Jackets 5-2 to advance. Florida plated 25 runs in the regional and gave up only two.

Texas Tech was similarly good, though it did have a close call against Ole Miss. A 10-9 result in the winner’s bracket game against the Rebels made life easier, and the Red Raiders dominated the rematch 14-2 to take the regional. The Red Raiders notched 34 runs in regional action, scoring double digits in each game.

Knoxville Super Regional

No. 7 Tennessee vs. No. 10 Georgia
Thursday, May 21 – 7 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Friday, May 22 – 7 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 23 – 11 a.m. ET (if necessary) – ESPN

Another super that came out with both ranked teams advancing, Knoxville will feature another all-SEC matchup. Tennessee won a couple close games over Northern Kentucky and Virginia before getting a little more breathing room in the clincher against Virginia. Georgia, on the other hand, worked through its regional with relative ease. A 5-2 win over Charleston was followed by an 8-0 win over UNC Greensboro and a 5-0 win over Clemson.

Austin Super Regional

No. 2 Texas vs. Arizona State
Friday, May 22 – 9 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Saturday, May 23 – 7 p.m. ET – ESPN
Sunday, May 24 – TBD (if necessary)

Texas never broke a sweat in its regional, winning each of its games by at least seven runs. The wins came against Wagner, Wisconsin and Baylor. Unfortunately for college softball fans, the rivalry matchup didn’t materialize on the other side. Texas A&M tripped up as a seeded team, falling to Arizona State twice. Arizona State knocked off McNeese and then beat the Aggies 4-3 in the winner’s bracket game. A regional final finished 9-1 with a walk-off grand slam.